


With Great Power...

by Elizabeth_Inkheart



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: At a price, Bones needs a raise, Eyebrow raising intensifies, Kirk cant control himself, Kirk gets an upgrade, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spock worries about Kirk, This Was A Dream I Had, Witty Banter, and some coffee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elizabeth_Inkheart/pseuds/Elizabeth_Inkheart
Summary: While investigating a strange distress signal in uncharted space, Kirk goes missing! Upon his return, the crew realize that Kirk was changed... and that they are all at risk. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, will Captain Kirk and his crew solve the strange mystery and save themselves before it is too late?
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock (implied)
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've ever written. I'm posting this just for shits and giggles. Lemme know if you like what I have so far and I'll be sure to work on it some more.

Captain’s Log (Stardate: 3242.2):

On our way to Gamma 6, Lieutenant Uhura picked up a faint distress call on an unrecognizable frequency. We have been tracking the distress call for the past two days and it has taken us to an unknown planet deep within uncharted space. I plan on sending Mr. Spock, Bones, and myself down to the surface to investigate.

Kirk ended his log and turned his chair to face his second in command, “Mr. Spock, What are your sensors reading?” Spock straightened himself from his hunched position over the sensors and turned poised to face his Captain. “The planet is much larger than that of Earth, Captain. It’s atmosphere is breathable, and its terrain seems to be rich in an abundance of metal ores. Most strangely, our scanners did not pick up any signs of life contrary to the ever-persistent distress call. The planet’s atmosphere consists of very dense cloud cover which is inhibiting the sensor’s ability to read things clearly. I surmise these clouds may contain high amounts of static electricity.” Kirk tilted his head slightly as he thought about what his first officer said.

“Wait… No signs of life?... But that does not make any sense… Did you check for malfunctions?” Spock gave a curt nod. “Yes, Captain. I also altered our sensors to scan for other elements that were in other rare organisms that we have encountered in the past. So far, there is nothing.” As Kirk began to ponder about what could possibly be down there, Lt. Uhura spoke up.

“Captain, we’ve located the coordinates of the distress signal. It’s… fading rapidly.” Kirk nodded. “Then we’ve no time to lose. Spock, Bones, come with me. Uhura, contact the transporter room and tell them to get ready to beam a landing party down.” Uhura acknowledged Kirk's command and turned to com the transporter room while Kirk marched his way to the elevator with Spock at his heels.

Kirk and Spock entered the transporter room to see Doctor McCoy already waiting there with a tricorder slung on one shoulder and an emergency medical kit in his hands. Kirk approached him. “Ready to beam down, Bones?” Bones retorted with a raised eyebrow and slightly pursed lips. “Ready as I’ll ever be…”

The three of them took their places on the transporter platform. At Kirk's command, Scotty flipped the switches and beamed them down to the surface.

As they finished materializing on the surface below, they noticed one thing about the planet right away… It was dark. The clouds covered the sky like a thick living blanket. The only light that made it down to the planet’s surface was surprisingly dim and the three of them had to squint to see things in the distance. Streaks of purple lightning occasionally danced across the writhing gray clouds and the static electricity could be felt by every person there. At a glance, Bones noticed that the static electricity was starting to make Spock’s hair stand on end, and it took practically all of his willpower not to jest his Vulcan shipmate for it. Kirk turned to his two men. “Alright, the coordinates of the distress signal were right around here. Use your tricorders to scan the area and contact me if you find anything. And…” Kirk slowly glanced at the surging lighting in the clouds above them. “…Be careful of what you touch…”

The three of them split up and head their separate ways. Spock began scanning the surrounding area with his tricorder and noticed that the tricorder was having difficulty scanning the surrounding area because of the amount of static electricity in the clouds above. From what he could tell, there was no vegetation on the planet at all nor anything remotely close to being able to support life here. That, along with them being deep in uncharted space meant it was very unlikely that there was someone or something here to release that signal… So why were they brought here? “Curious…” He murmurs, before opening up his communicator. “Captain. Come in please.”

Kirk stopped where he was among the large rocks and opened his communicator. “Kirk here. What's wrong, Spock?” He looked at the large metallic boulders around him as he listened to Spock. “As far as I can tell, Captain, there is no way for life to exist here. Nor is it probable that there are any automated probes or structures here to have released such a signal.” Bones chimed in. “He’s right Jim. There’s no way a signal could’ve come from this giant ball bearing! I don’t like the looks of this…” Kirk smiled to himself at Bone’s typical grumpy demeanor. “Alright gentlemen, if you cannot find anything within the next hour meet up back at the coordinates we beamed down to and we can beam back to the ship. Kirk out.”

Kirk closed his communicator and was about to continue walking when he heard a noise behind him. Kirk turned and was met with nothing but large jagged rocks and the jigsaw shaped shadows that they cast in the dim light. Instinctively, Kirk pulled out his phaser and began walking slowly towards where he saw the noise. As he kept walking, a voice called out from behind him. “Captain?” Kirk turned suddenly and saw a woman with skin as dark as night clad in white robes. Her robes seemed to glow, and they cast vibrant shadows on the walls of the tall boulders surrounding him. Kirk straightened himself and lowered his phaser slightly as he looked her over once before replying. “Who are you?” The woman made no reply but began walking towards him.

Kirk took a step back and raised his phaser again. “Answer me.” His eyes began taking in every detail about her to see if she was a threat, until he found himself drawn to her eyes. They were golden in color and the irises seemed to swirl with varying hues of gold and ivory. Kirk found himself unable to look away from her eyes as she took yet another step closer. His phaser lowered without him realizing it and his attention was drawn ever deeper to her eyes. Part of him still wanted to ask her who she was, but all he could manage was an incoherent mumble as she stepped silently closer to him. By the time she was within arm’s reach, Kirk was swaying on his feet unable to do anything except stare blankly into the strange woman’s eyes. Kirk’s hand relaxed and the phaser fell out of his hand without him ever noticing. The woman took one more step forward and stopped. She observed Kirk’s blank face for a moment more before opening her mouth to say one word.

“Sleep.”

Instantly, Kirks eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Captain’s Log (Stardate: 3242.2) First Officer Spock Reporting:

It has been two hours since the Captain’s disappearance. Despite our best efforts, the only evidence we could find to lead to his whereabouts is his phaser which remains unused. There are two teams searching for him within a 5-mile radius around the coordinates of our initial beam down to the unknown planet. It is in light of moments like these that I am thankful for my Vulcan heritage, otherwise… I would be sick with worry.

Spock ended his log and immediately returned to Bones who was busy scanning the landscape with a tricorder. “Any progress with the amplified tricorder, Doctor?” Bones gave Spock a shrug. “Well Spock, your modifications work perfectly, and I can read everything much clearer now, but as far as I can tell, the Captain just ceased to exist!” Spock blinked and straightened slightly as he spoke. “Now, Doctor, you and I both know that it is scientifically impossible for the Captain to just… cease to exist.” Bones raised an eyebrow. “I’m just telling ya what the tricorder says ya green blooded hobgoblin! I know that he can’t just delete out of existence!” Before Bones could scold Spock on his Vulcan mannerisms, Spock’s tricorder chimed. Spock, with a smug look ghosting his otherwise neutral facial features, answered his communicator. “Spock here.”

“Commander, I found the Captain!”

Bones and Spock looked each other in the eyes then immediately began sprinting towards the source of the communicator signal. They ran for nearly a quarter of a mile through the metallic landscape until reaching a clearing in the large boulders. Sure enough, two Red shirts were kneeling on the ground next to Captain Kirk who lay unconscious on the ground. Bones rushed over immediately and began scanning Kirk’s body for injuries. The surrounding crew members were silent and held their breath as they waited for the doctor’s verdict.

Bones flipped Kirk over onto his back and scanned him again. Then he opened his medical bag and pulled out a shot. The hypo hissed as the doctor injected the liquid into the Captain’s arm. Still, he remained silent. Spock’s heartbeat increased at the sight of his unconscious Captain and his body felt like daggers of dread were traveling through his veins. He took a quick breath to steady his voice as he spoke. “Doctor, what is his condition?” Bones glanced at Spock before turning back towards the captain. “Well, he’s unconscious. However, I can’t tell for the life of me why that is.”

Their attention was brought back to the captain who was beginning to stir. Bones helped Kirk sit up and looked him over. Kirk looked very weak, dazed, and confused like someone who was startled awake. His head swayed slightly, and his eyelids drooped as he tried speaking with slightly slurred words. “What… what happened?” Bones scoffed. “That’s what we want to know!” At the captain’s confused response, Spock chimed in. “You went missing for nearly three hours Captain.” Kirk blinked as he probed his memory for what had happened. He could’ve sworn he remembered seeing… a face… But he couldn’t quite remember. “Oh, did I? I can’t seem to remember…” He finally responded.

Bones stood and helped the captain to his feet. “Let’s get you beamed up, Jim. You look like you could use some rest, and I don’t wanna see you even think about commanding a ship until I run a full physical on you. Something made you feint, and I intend to find out.” Kirk nodded and turned to Spock. “Mr. Spock, if you may…” Spock nodded and used his communicator to signal Scotty to beam them back aboard the enterprise. Within moments, the landing party was back in the transporter room, and Kirk was ushered to sick bay with a very nagging doctor urging him along. It wasn’t until the room emptied that Spock allowed himself to release the breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding. With one more deep breath, Spock donned his emotionless face once more and went to assume command once more.

By the time Kirk was at sick bay, he felt much perkier. In fact, he felt more energetic than he had in a long while. Which meant more work from Bones to get his overly stubborn captain to comply with him. “Dammit Jim, I'm the doctor on this ship. Now, I don’t care how good ya feel, I’m not letting ya leave until I look you over thoroughly!” Kirk’s faced soured in a sort of pout, and he silently took his shirt off so he could take his physical. Bones led the captain over to a treadmill. “The running test, Bones? Is that necessary?” Kirk inquired. Bones shot him a look. “Quit yer complaining and just get started. As always, just run until ya get tired so I can see how well your cardiovascular and respiratory system are doing. I'm gonna run some tests on these blood samples. I’ll be back later.” Kirk waited until the doctor left the room then, with a sigh, began a nice even pace on the treadmill.


	3. Chapter 3

Spock sat in the Captain’s chair and began analyzing the details of the past few hours. The Captain’s disappearance, the strange distress signal… Logically there was no way those were two coincidences. It surely was never the case in the past, so it made logical sense that was not the case now. So then what was it that caused the Captain to disappear the way he did. Why did the Captain disappear? What was hiding down there on the dimly lit surface of the metallic planet? These thoughts kept circulating in his head when a voice broke him out of his daze.

“Mr. Spock?”

Spock looked up to see Sulu looking at him expectantly. “Your orders, Sir?” Spock blinked then commed Doctor McCoy. “Doctor. Do you deem it safe for Jim to leave orbit of this planet?” Bone’s voice echoed through the speaker sounding grumpier than usual. “Yeah he’ll be fine. Just keep her steady. He’s taking a physical.” Spock turned to Sulu. “Take us out of uncharted territory. Ahead Warp factor 2.” Sulu turned and began working the helm controls. “Aye, sir. Warp factor 2.”

Bone’s final blood test results came in and he rubbed his eyes as he sighed. Nothing out of the ordinary. The captain was perfectly healthy and had no reason to have feinted whatsoever. Which meant the hours of test results he just completed were all in vain. A bit more frustrated than he’d care to admit, Bones recorded the results in the medical report, then pulled the yellow chip out of the computer to go and analyze Kirk’s physical results. Bone’s entered with his head down and looked up suddenly when he heard the sound of a treadmill. To his surprise, Captain Kirk was still running at a relatively fast pace and did not look winded one bit. Did he start the test again?

Upon Bones entering, the Captain took a quick glance in the Doctor’s direction. “Oh, hey Bones.” He stated through heavy breaths. “Done with those tests already?” Bones slowly set down the medical report on a table and observed the computer analysis of Kirks bodily systems. The readings were above normal… _way_ above normal. Bone’s then took a glance at the elapsed time and his eyes widened. Kirk had been running nonstop for over two and a half hours now. He looked back at the Captain who was still running as if everything was perfectly normal. “I think- I'm gonna beat my record, Bones.” Kirk said with a confident smile on his face. Bones blinked once before turning towards the table. Spock needs to see this.

Spock was still pondering over the Captains mysterious disappearance while on the bridge when Doctor McCoy’s voice spoke through the speaker. “McCoy to bridge.” Spock answered the call with a raise of his eyebrow. Did the doctor find something? “Spock here. Is everything alright?” There was a pause from Bone’s end before he replied. “Well, uh… Why don’t you come down and see for yourself?” Spock’s heart twitched with worry, and it took all his willpower not to rub his side when he responded. “Understood. I will be there momentarily.”

Spock arrived at sick bay expecting some sort of disease or life-threatening scenario. Instead, he entered to find his Captain running on a treadmill. His pace was strong, fast, and even. He did not seem tired in any way, so what was the problem? Spock turned to Bones. “You wanted to show me something, Doctor?” Bones gestured to Kirk on the treadmill. “Well, look at him!” Spock tilted his head. “I do not see the problem. He is running at a good even pace and does not seem to be winded or injured in any way.” Bones turned towards Spock with his signature glare. “That’s exactly my point. He’s not tired and he’s been running at that pace for hours!” Spock’s eyebrow raised in response. Running for hours without tiring in the slightest? At that pace? That seemed relatively impossible for a human to accomplish. Even the most skilled athletes in human history would not be able to run for such a distance without tiring. Yet Kirk, save for the sweat glistening on his broad chest and shoulders, looks like he still just started running even after being there for hours. “…Fascinating…” Spock replied then took a step closer.

Kirk glanced to find Spock watching him and in his surprise he tripped. The treadmill slowed down gradually as kirk tumbled and eventually rolled Kirk gently to the ground who quickly stood to try and regain at least some of what was left of his pride. He cleared his throat. “Mr. Spock…. I was… unaware you were in here…” Kirk avoided Spock’s eyes as he grabbed a towel nearby to dry himself off. “Well Bones, how did I do?” Bones arms were crossed as he spoke. “Jim, you’ve been running for nearly three hours.” Kirk blinked then smiled. “Very funny Bones. Is something wrong?” Bones, without saying anything, simply turned and gestured towards the computer that showed the elapsed time of Kirk’s run to be exactly 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 36 seconds. Kirk stared and remained silent for a few moments. “You mean to tell me that I was running for nearly 3 hours?” Bones held back his retort of _That’s what I just said!!!_ And instead kept his mouth shut. He was well aware of Kirk’s flare for dramatics…Kirk kept talking.

“But… that doesn’t make any sense! I was not tired! I felt like I could keep going for a long while and yet…” Kirk didn’t have to finish his thought. He knew they knew what he was thinking. Kirk turned to face his two most trusted officers. “What’s causing it?” Bones glanced at the ground. “That’s part of the problem, Jim. We don’t know.” Kirk looked back and forth between the Vulcan and the doctor searching for some sign of… something. “Well… is it…harmful? Am I going to die?” Bones answered again with a shrug of his shoulders. “Well, as far as we can tell, whatever changed in you isn’t harming you, or us, in any way.” Spock faced his Captain and chimed in. “That being said, it appears you are medically fit for command. I shall return command of the Enterprise back over to you once you are ready. Until then, I shall be on the bridge If you need me.” Spock left the room and felt the knot of worry in his gut release as he let out a sigh. _I am in control of my emotions…_


	4. Chapter 4

Kirk took his place back on the bridge shortly after their conversation in sick bay and sat down just in time to receive a transmission from Starfleet. “Captain Kirk, this is Admiral Huxley. We’ve noticed some strange energy readings on a planet that has signs of primitive but promising civilizations there. Your mission is to determine what the spike in energy is and protect the life forms on that planet at all cost.” Kirk immediately turned to Uhura once the message ended. “Send a message back to Starfleet letting them know that we are on our way. Mr. Sulu plot a course and increase speed to warp factor 6. If this energy is dangerous, I wanna be there before it poses as a threat to the indigenous life there.” The Enterprise turned accordingly and sped off to her next destination. From where they were, it would still take them two days to reach their current objective. So, they had time to kill.

As the days went by, Kirk was seen far less often in the mess hall, and the only thing he ever drank was copious amounts of water. Both Bones and Spock noticed instantly, however Kirk didn’t seem to pay it any attention. What Kirk did notice though, was how… itchy he was. Ever since the strange physical exam Kirk was having random bouts of itchiness for no reason whatsoever. His clothes normally fit comfortably so there was no reason for him to feel so irritated. Nevertheless, the itching sensations were persistent in popping up on various locations on his body and they were getting worse. His arms were constantly at work picking, scratching, itching, pinching, scraping, you name it. When walking through the halls, he would stop every so often to scratch his back against something then would continue walking usually while scratching something else. The question was…why? And why didn’t he tell Bones, let alone Spock about it?

Upon their arrival at their destination, Kirks itching ceased because the itching turned to burning. Now he adjusts every so often in his chair to try and ease himself from the burning sensations coiling underneath his skin. “Energy readings, Mr. Spock.” Kirk commanded as he stifled a wince while shifting in his chair. Spock peered into his sensors and did not notice the Captain’s pain. He stayed there silent for a few moments before he began to speak. “Captain, there seems to be some sort of high energy reading emanating from the Enterprise that is preventing us from pinpointing the exact location of the energy surge on the planet below. It is the strangest thing, Captain. It completely eclipses the strange energy readings on the planet below in both range, and intensity.”

Kirk thought about the strange readings. The enterprise is making an energetic disturbance? How could that be? He turned to his left to where his Chief Engineer Officer sat. “Scotty, is it… possible for the ships warp engines to… create an energetic disturbance in our sensors?” Scotty thought about it for a second. “Aye sir, it is. But that would only be the case if something was wrong with either the engines or the ships sensors and they’re both in perfect working condition.” Kirk grew frustrated and shifted in his chair to ease the pain on his left side. “Well then what could have caused such a drastic error in our sensor readings?” Scotty shrugged “I’m not sure, Captain. But if ya give me a moment, I might be able to recalibrate the sensors to omit the strange energy source from the Enterprise.” Kirk simply nodded; his mind preoccupied with more…painful things at the moment. “Alright, go see what you can do.”

Within minutes, Scotty resumed his post, and Spock’s sensors were able to roughly pinpoint where the planet’s energy anomaly was coming from. Despite the adjustments Scotty made, the sensors were still having trouble differentiating between the energy on the planet, and whatever energy was emanating from the Enterprise. Regardless, they had gotten what they needed. “Maintain standard orbit Mr. Sulu. Mr. Chekov, keep scanning the energy readings and let us know if anything changes. Uhura, tell transporter room and some Security Ensigns to be on standby. Spock, Scotty, you’re with me.” Kirk stood slowly so as to not further agitate is aching body… Maybe he should talk to Bones about this… Kirk fought to maintain his composure as he strode to the elevator, but Spock noticed. Spock and Scotty followed closely behind.

Inside the elevator, Spock took it upon himself to ask his Captain what was wrong. “Captain, are you feeling alright?” Kirk met his eyes and Spock could see the hint of worry hidden behind Kirk’s warm smile. “Yes, I’m quite alright. I am just… a little sore. That’s all.” Kirk cursed himself mentally. Of course, Spock would notice his pain. What was he thinking? And why did he feel the need to hide his pain? He did not have the answer to either of those, unfortunately. Spock looked like he was about to say something else, but then the elevator doors opened, and they were marching through the hallway to get to the transporter room.

When they arrived at the transporter room, there were two Ensigns standing nearby equipped with tricorders and standard phasers. Scotty walked behind the Transporter controls and inputted the coordinates. Kirk addressed the red Ensigns before him. “Alright men, our mission is simple. We beam down, investigate this energy surge, then report our findings to Starfleet. Remember, the natives on this planet are primitive. Although we should not run into any, keep this in mind and remember to not violate the prime directive. That means using your phaser only if I instruct you to do so. Is that clear?” The ensigns acknowledged their captain then took their place on the transporter. Kirk took his place, then Scotty. Spock observed his captain’s body language for a second and noticed Kirk’s stifled labored breathing and stiffened movement before taking his place on the transporter. Something was wrong with Jim… and he did not like it.


	5. Chapter 5

The landing party beamed onto the surface of the planet and were greeted with the sweet smells of wild flora that peppered the vibrant landscape. The planet looked docile and the kind of paradise that one would like to spend a camping vacation there. The sun was warm and kissed whatever skin was available in a way that naturally made you take a deep breath and sigh with relief. The men took a few moments to take in their surroundings. Were it under other circumstances, Kirk would’ve loved sending his men down to the surface for some shore leave. Unfortunately, they had work to do. “Alright men, I'm sure you all will have plenty of time to enjoy the nature around you if we get finished quickly enough. Fan out and scan with your tricorders. Report back what you find.”

The crew members acknowledged their captain’s orders then began scanning the surrounding area. Spock remained close by and watched as his Captain winced in pain. Spock couldn’t simply ignore this. “Captain… It has become apparent to me that there is something causing you pain or discomfort. As your First Officer I would –‘’ Kirk cut him off “Spock, really. I’ll be alright.” He smiled gently at his first officer in a futile attempt to reassure his First Officer. “If you want, I’ll report to sickbay once this is all over.” Spock stayed silent for a moment. His dark eyes searched Kirk’s blue ones for any signs that Kirk was lying about his condition. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Spock said “Very well. Should you need any medical assistance beforehand, let me know… please.”

At hearing the word ‘please’ come from Spock’s lips Kirk’s heart skipped a beat. The burning pain writhing beneath Kirk’s skin became irrelevant, and all his attention was on his Vulcan friend. Kirk’s blue eyes were locked on Spock’s dark ones and it was clear to both of them that Kirk could recognize the worry in Spock’s eyes. It was still rare to the Captain to see his usually stoic companion slip up and show human emotion, but even now he could tell that Spock had dropped his guard of logic to emote intentionally… and that lingered heavy in Kirk’s chest as he broke eye contact with his First Officer and nodded in acknowledgement. The faintest of smiles reached Spock’s lips before he turned away and began scanning the area ahead of him with his tricorder.

As soon as Spock turned away, the pain that had plagued the Captain beforehand returned, and this time with more force. Kirk grimaced as he clutched his abdomen and shivered as he rubbed his arms to subside the pain. _Hurry up and finish and Bones can fix you_. He kept telling himself. As he looked around for anything out of the ordinary, his attention was caught by a bright yellow flower close to where the party had beamed down. Spock was still nearby with his back turned and Kirk smirked in his direction before bending over to sniff at the flower. The flower was sweet smelling and reminded Kirk of honeysuckle. However, the pollen from this flower was much more irritating than pollen on flowers he was familiar with. His nose began to itch and he felt a sneeze coming.

As the tickling sensation amplified within his nose, the pain within his body began to increase. It felt like whatever was causing his pain was trying to push it’s way out of his body and was fighting against Kirk’s acute bodily control in order to do so. However, the sneeze was unexpected, and Kirk could feel his grip on himself slipping as his body instinctively drew a deep breath to expel the irritating pollen from his nose. Kirk sneezed loudly, and as he did, the pain in his body released instantly. A flash of blinding light and a loud blast emanated from around him and Kirk was so confused he lost balance.

Kirk stood immediately to assess the damage of the blast that…came from…him? Sure enough, there was a small dent in the ground where he had initially stood. The flower he had sniffed was burned away and had he not known where it was before, he would’ve thought a flower never existed there in the first place. Even a tree further away from him was contorted and singed from the heat and shockwave of the blast. _Oh my god… Spock!_ Kirk turned to where he had last seen his friend. To his dismay, he saw a limp body several feet further away from where Spock had been. Spock’s back was severely burned, and from where he was Kirk could clearly see the green blood glinting in the bright sunlight from the planet’s sun. Kirk called out to Spock but there was no answer. Panic rose up and welled in Kirk’s throat. Within seconds kirk found it very hard to breathe.

Within moments, Scotty came sprinting into view and rushed up to the Captain who was gasping for air in a frantic manner. “Captain!” He called as he got closer to him. Kirk was staring blankly at the ground unable to think clearly. Scotty called again as he rushed up to Captain Kirk. “Captain! What happened?!” Scotty placed his hands firmly on Kirk’s shoulders and shook him to get his attention. When his hands touched Kirk, there was a loud hiss and almost instantly Scott pulled his hands away from Kirk’s shoulders screaming in agony. Kirk saw the blood red color coating the palms of Scotty’s hands… He had burned him. “ Scotty!” Kirk called. He took a step forward to help the chief engineer who was now on his knees huddling his burned hands but stopped himself. He couldn’t touch Scotty or else he would burn him again… He couldn’t do anything to help his friends…

Panic began rising in Kirk’s throat again when the ensigns began rushing back . One ran towards Scotty while the others began running towards Kirk to see if he was hurt. Kirk yelled at the approaching Ensigns. “Don’t come closer!” The ensign closest to him slowed down but still approached him. “ Captain let me help you. Are you hurt?” Kirk’s frustration and panic welled up inside him as he yelled. “No! Stay Back!” Kirk threw up his hand defensively and a shockwave was emitted from his hand. It barreled into the nearest Ensign and sent him flying. The second Ensign stopped dead in his tracks and kept his distance. Kirk felt tears threatening to well up in his eyes as he tried to maintain control over himself. “Ensign!” He called, “Contact the Enterprise. Tell them to send Bones down here immediately!” The Ensign did as he was told then rushed over to his injured friend who Kirk and accidentally tossed like a ragdoll.

Kirk felt a strange sensation coating his body and pulsating with the racing rhythm of his heartbeat. What was this strange sensation? Why can’t he control it? Why is his pain gone? _What’s wrong with me…?_ Kirk’s racing thoughts were interrupted as Bones and some nurses materialized. Bones scanned the surrounding area, directed the nurses to help the injured, then noticed Captain Kirk. Strange tendrils of colored light were rising off of Kirk in various places almost as if a fire were stuck in slow motion. Kirk seemed unaware of them, but Bones noticed and began approaching Kirk to see what was wrong with him. Kirk forced himself not to move. _I can’t hurt Bones too…_ Kirk shouted in the most demanding voice he could muster in this panicked state.

“Bones! Stop where you are!” Bones complied but gave his Captain a confused look. “Jim! What happened? What's wrong?” Kirk’s resolve began to break as he spoke in a trembling voice “I hurt them…” Bones’ face contorted with more confusion and he began to approach Kirk again. “What in the blazes are you talking about?” Kirk retreated backwards a few steps. “Bones stay back! I don’t want to hurt you!” Bones stopped and stared at his Captain. He noticed his trembling form, his shaky breathing, and the genuine fear in his eyes… He’d never seen him like this before. Kirk’s voice was quiet as he begged Bones from where he was. “Please… Help the others…” Bones hesitated, but after not seeing any threatening injuries on his Captain, he turned away and rushed over to where Spock was.

Kirk’s legs felt weak yet he still stood. He couldn’t find it in himself to move. He didn’t even know if he _could_ move without almost killing another crew member. Kirk stared at the ground directly in front of him and his gaze never wavered from it’s position. He could feel a tear traveling down his cheek, but he did nothing to remove it. How could he without causing harm to someone else? Whatever this… _thing_ was that changed him, he had no control over it, and it scared him more than he’d cared to admit. If he hadn’t just listened when Spock first talked to him about this… _Poor Spock…_ Kirk thought. His First Officer had completely trusted him. He’d promised Spock that he would let him know if anything was wrong but he was ignorant and… Now he was hurt. Injured severely, and unconscious. He didn’t deserve this…

The image of Spock’s mutilated body plagued Kirk’s mind and he had to shut his eye tight to remove the image from his mind. Kirk’s arms wrapped around himself while his heart soured and pumped his veins full of the sickening feeling he could recognize instantly as guilt. His heart ached more than the pain did before the sneeze… _I…hurt them…_ A voice snapped kirk out of his daze. “Jim?” Kirk looked up to see Bones just outside of arm’s reach. He was looking Kirk over with his keen medical eye as he spoke. “You alright?” Kirk shook his head as all the images of his injured friends came back. “I… I hurt them, Bones. I couldn’t control myself and I hurt them…” Bones shushed the Captain before he could ramble any further. “It’s alright, Jim.” He said like he was comforting a child. “You can do it. You just gotta relax.”

Kirk focused on his shaky breathing and took a deep breath. The worry and the fear subsided with each breath he took, and the light emanating from Kirk’s body grew brighter. Bones shielded his eyes slightly and took a step back from the sudden rise in temperature. “Good…” He said, masking his concern. “Now concentrate.” Kirk closed his eyes and felt the strange sensation as it pulsated slower and slower to match his heartbeat. He felt as the pulses covered his body just beneath the surface of his skin. He pictured the pulsing stopping and inhaled deeply as if he were about to hold his breath. He imagined the pulsing stopping and tensed his body to try and hold the pulsing still. A shiver passed through his body as the pulsing ceased, and the tendrils of light disappeared.

Bones smiled as the light dissipated around his Captain. “There. That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Kirk’s eyes opened as he felt a hand on his shoulder and exhaled a sigh of relief as he noticed the Doctor not burning on contact. Kirk smiled and huffed out a laugh as he spoke. “Thank you, Bones.” As quickly as the smile came, it disappeared. The memory of the strange incident was still all too present, and his heart felt heavy from how much guilt he felt. “Bones…” Kirk began… almost too afraid to ask. “How are they?” Bones smiled and chuckled slightly. “They’ll live. Although Scotty probably won’t be happy about it.” Kirk’s smile returned. Bones pulled out his communicator to contact the Enterprise since Kirk’s communicator had melted a while ago, and the two beamed aboard the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When dads sneeze...

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have any other fanfictions, but I do have a lot of original works. If you all are interested, I'll post them if you're willing to read them.


End file.
